Social Research Methods: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches

HOW TO REVIEW THE LITERATURE AND CONDUCT ETHICAL STUDIES

with peer-reviewed reports of research. One can
rarely find these journals outside of college and uni-
versity libraries. Recal that most researchers dis-
seminate new findings in scholarly journals. They
are the heart of the scientific community’s commu-
nication system.
Some scholarly journals are specialized and
have only book reviews that provide commentary and
evaluations on academic books (e.g.,Contemporary
Sociology, Law and Politics Book Review), or only

literature review essays (e.g.,Annual Review of

Sociology, Annual Review of Psychology, Annual

Review of Anthropology) in which researchers give

a “state of the field” essay for others. Publications

that specialize in literature reviews can offer useful

introductions or overviews on a topic. Many schol-

arly journals include a mix of literature reviews,

book reviews, reports on research studies, and the-

oretical essays.

TABLE 1 Types of Publications

TYPE EXAMPLE AUTHOR PURPOSE STRENGTH WEAKNESS

Peer-reviewed
scholarly journal

Social Science

Quarterly,

Social Forces,

Journal of

Contemporary

Ethnography

Professional

researchers

Report on

empirical

research studies

to professionals

and build

knowledge

Highest quality,

most accurate,

and most

objective with

complete details

Technical,

difficult to

read, requires

background

knowledge, not

always current

issues

Semischolarly
professional
publication

American

Prospect,

Society,

American

Demographics

Professors,

professional

policymakers,

politicians

Share and

discuss new

findings and

implications

with the edu-

cated public

Generally

accurate,

somewhat

easy to read

Lacks full detail

and explanation,

often includes

opinion mixed in

with discussion

Newsmagazines
and newspapers

Wall Street

Journal,

Christian

Science

Monitor,

Newsweek,

Time

Respected

journalists

Report on

current events

in an easy-to-

read, accessible

way for the lay

public

Easy to read,

accessible,

very current

Semiaccurate,

incomplete,

distorted, or

one-sided views

Serious opinion
magazines

Nation, Human

Events, Public

Interest,

Commentary

Professors,

professional

policymakers,

politicians

Offer value-

based ideas and

opinions to the

educated public

Carefully

written and

reasoned

One-sided view

and highly value

based

Popular
magazines
for the public

Esquire, Ebony,

Redbook,

Forbes, Fortune

Journalists,

other writers

Entertain,

present and

discuss current

events for lay

public

Easy to read,

easy to locate

Often shallow,

inaccurate, and

incomplete